| Gyeongju's Nam-san's famous Sangseon-am Upper Immortal Hermitage with a great Cliff-Buddha |
| the Sangseon-am Buddha-carving on the NW slope of Nam-san (upper photo by Andrew Douch) Many scholars consider it to be a carving of Mireuk-bul (미륵불, 彌勒佛, Maitreya the Future Buddha), but it might otherwise have been intended as Amita-bul (阿彌陀佛, Amitabha the Buddha of Western Paradise). It is a classically Korean cliff-carving -- crude and thin 2-dimensional lines at the bottom, getting stronger as the eye moves up, refined and 3-dimensional at top -- he seems frozen in the act of manifesting out of the mountain-stone to become a living being, a savior-Buddha to bring liberation to humanity and paradise to earth... for 1400 years, people have prayed here that he will manifest faster! |
| Bori-sa Buddha Statue Chilbul-am Hermitage Gyeongju Nam-san Page Sacred Mountains of Gyeongju Index-Page San-shin Site Contents Page |
Way back in 1986, myself with the ancient monk of Sangseon-am,
who had lived here since the Korean War -- he never would tell
me his name, but was otherwise kind and always offered me tea.
He passed away into nirvana by 1990, and local visitors told me
that they believed this enlightened sage had become a Shinseon
[spiritual-immortal], and possibly a Sanshin of Nam-san; in 1995
I witnessed a portrait of him in this same hall being venerated
as a Sanshin-do icon...
who had lived here since the Korean War -- he never would tell
me his name, but was otherwise kind and always offered me tea.
He passed away into nirvana by 1990, and local visitors told me
that they believed this enlightened sage had become a Shinseon
[spiritual-immortal], and possibly a Sanshin of Nam-san; in 1995
I witnessed a portrait of him in this same hall being venerated
as a Sanshin-do icon...
| Excellent photo by photographer Robert Koehler |
Sangseon-am [Upper Immortal Hermitage] itself
is just a few small buildings that overlook this great
artwork, a lonely holy-site about 300m high at the
top of the Samneung-gol [Three Tombs Valley].
is just a few small buildings that overlook this great
artwork, a lonely holy-site about 300m high at the
top of the Samneung-gol [Three Tombs Valley].
